Hand-pollinate a cherimoya from a male-stage flower to a female-stage flower.
Hand-pollinate from a male-stage flower to a female-stage flower
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Female stage | Petals just parted at the tips; stigma pale and sticky | Do not brush a flower that is already wide open and brown inside |
| Male stage | Petals flared; tan anthers shedding white pollen | Do not wait for bees |
| Tool | A small artist's brush and a small dry vial | Do not mash the stigma cone |
| Which flowers | Ones you can reach inside the canopy | Do not set fruit on sunburned outer tips |
cherimoya flowers open female first, then male, so they rarely pollinate themselves. Where the native beetles are missing, you move the pollen by hand. [1] sugar apple uses the same two stages. Keep the canopy in reach on Pruning Cherimoya.
Why is my cherimoya not setting fruit?
The flower is female before it sheds pollen. Move pollen with a brush, or you get a pretty tree and little fruit.
How to hand-pollinate a cherimoya
Collect pollen in late afternoon, then brush it onto a partly open female-stage flower.
- In late afternoon, find a fully open male-stage flower with tan anthers and visible white pollen. [2]
- Tap or brush the anthers into a small dry vial. The dust is the pollen, not the anther bits.
- Find a female-stage flower whose petals are only just parted. Ease them open and brush pollen onto the sticky stigma cone with a light circle. [3]
- If no female flowers are open yet, cap the vial and refrigerate it overnight, then brush in the morning. [4]
- Mark the stem so you do not harvest that flower for pollen later. Repeat every two or three days through bloom.
When do I collect pollen?
Late afternoon, from a fully open male-stage flower. The anthers should be tan and shedding white dust.
Can I keep pollen overnight?
Yes. Cap a dry vial and refrigerate it, then brush female-stage flowers the next morning.
What fails when you skip the brush
Waiting for honeybees leaves most flowers empty. Over- brushing packs too many seeds and can make lumpy fruit. Setting fruit on the hottest outer tips sunburns it. If the set is heavy, thin so the remaining fruit can size. Pond apple is not this evening brush job. Sugar apple in humid heat may set with beetles; if it does not, use the same brush in the morning.
If flowers open and drop with no fruit, take the brush out this evening — do not wait for bees.
FAQ
Do I need two cherimoya trees?
One tree is enough if you move pollen from its male-stage flowers to its female-stage flowers. A second tree is optional.
Does sugar apple need the same brush?
Often yes, if nitidulid beetles are scarce. Use the same male-then-female stages, usually in the morning.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UC Agriculture and Natural Resources -
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2024-06/398853.pdf - [2] California Rare Fruit Growers -
https://crfg.org/homepage/library/fruitfacts/cherimoya/ - [3] UC Agriculture and Natural Resources -
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2015-07/216533.pdf - [4] UC Cooperative Extension Ventura County -
https://ucanr.edu/county/cooperative-extension-ventura-county/cherimoya
This note is part of Annona Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors